What do you do when no one else in the company or the meeting looks like you? We asked entrepreneurs and creatives from across industries and geographies to share their experiences and advice.
Shingairai Melody Stevens
My background is full African from Zimbabwe. Growing up, my father always told me that I was interesting because I was a foreigner with a history so, when you enter a room, hold your head high and wear a welcoming smile that makes you approachable so you can educate and change peoples perspective of Africa. Read more>>
Brandie Johnson
I stay in my lane🤣 What someone else is doing is not my business. Following others doesn’t foster Confidence within yourself, you fall down the rabbit hole of comparison and that will steal your joy! I do what I love because it brings me joy, I stay away from anything else. Read more>>
Vanesa Rendon
For a really long time I was concerned about trying to have a certain look or present myself a certain way in the audition room and it was draining. It takes a lot of energy to keep up a facade. After a while, I just showed up as my authentic self. No frills, no polish. Just me. Now instead of leaving an audition wondering what they didn’t like about me, I focus on the work. Read more>>
Tyler Townsend
I’ve learned to be successful even when I’m the only one in the room that looks like me by staying true to myself! I’ve stayed focused. I’ve worked hard. I consistently strive to be my best self. Read more>>
Joshua Dvorkin
On one hand, I always used to be afraid that I would be judged because I was different than everybody else. not only did I think differently, look differently, and act differently but I also had some different beliefs. I think the fact that I’m Jewish comes with a piece of intergenerational trauma where one holds a deep rooted systemic fear which keeps you with the constant belief that you need to be one step ahead of the game. Read more>>
Lysa Allman-Baldwin
That’s a very interesting question because for the majority of my life I’ve always been “the only one in the room that looks like me.” As an African American who grew up in predominantly white neighborhoods, and then subsequently in jobs where 98% of the other people in the department or the company were other than black, it was sometimes a challenge. Read more>>
Debra Markowitz
I think the key to not letting my sex or gender hinder my effectiveness or success is by working harder than anyone else in the room and being the boss of what I design. When I was the Nassau County Film Commissioner for 33 years, it was a position I created, I ran the entire office by myself. I got to know the industry, and put all the pieces together, and it wasn’t a position that just anyone off the street could walk into. I fostered relationships within the industry which were instrumental to the office’s success. Read more>>
Alicia Wicks
Having spent equal parts of my life in predominantly African American and predominantly Caucasian environments, I’ve come to embrace my authentic self. I understand my strengths and what I bring to any situation, confident in my capabilities alongside my colleagues. Read more>>
Tony B
Being the only one in the room sometimes can feel odd. At the same time God placed me inside of these rooms so I can create a change in the world. To maneuver through that even requires listening and not speaking at times. It also requires knowing when to speak. Being too quiet won’t always get those ideas out. Read more>>
Tara Morgan
Success and effectiveness have always come down to relationships in my various careers, whether as a rowing coach, a professional fundraiser or now as a barber in my community. My business itself – C’mon Barber – is also unique here on Vashon Island, so it stands out and that invites a lot of interest and wonder. Read more>>
Rukayya Adams
That’s one interesting question. As someone who grew up in a place with a language and culture that’s different from mine, I have been the stranger in the room many times. However, when I think of the question in terms of the writing and publishing industry, it becomes bigger because I belong to not just one but two minority groups. I am a visibly Muslim woman and I am an African (who lives in Africa). Read more>>
Wanji Banda
Feeling like the odd one out in the room can indeed present both challenges, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Often, I’ve found myself in these instances when I’m part of an underrepresented background or community, or when surrounded by individuals with more professional experience than me. Read more>>
Idonteá Richardson
Let’s be transparent, entrepreneurship builds and expands characteristics that help you reach different levels of growth and success. You learn to optimize your resilience, confidence, passions, and work ethic to combat imposter syndrome. I have learned to be effective and successful when I am the only one in the room who looks like me by knowing I always have something to contribute. Read more>>
Alek Hand
I think that figuring this question out for myself was absolutely pivotal for working in the entertainment business. I am often the only one in the room that has anything in common with myself at all, and I used to feel like a weirdo when I would try to interject with my opinions, get my ideas done, or generally just take up some space. I would fall flat when the eyebrows raised and the first naysayer piped up. Read more>>
Ashley Evans
Being a female leader in the restaurant industry has been quite the challenge over the past 20 years. For many years, especially in my beginning stages of hospitality management, it was uncommon to see a female in the position of restaurant manager. I found myself in meetings where I was the only female manager, for many years. Read more>>
Kari Bell
The ability to stand up, recognize your skills, use them effectively and ignore the naysayers is one of the greatest challenges for everyone but especially women. We accept, when we are younger, things we do not necessarily know to be true but we don’t yet have the experience to discern; there is so much we don’t know about ourselves and our world. Read more>>
Rawan Chaya
As a young Arab-American girl, I rarely saw representation of individuals like myself in the music industry, which inspired me to use my artistry to represent and empower other Arab-American girls like myself. I’ve learned to draw strength from my culture and identity, recognizing that diversity brings unique perspectives to the table. I know that embracing my background enables me to provide a valuable perspective. Read more>>
Jay Allen
There is and always will be only one you. What my peers do hasn’t ever effected my drive to excel. Moving from the east coast to the Midwest has been a challenge for me. It’s been difficult to excel in a community that is stuck in their ways and tends to cling to their own. I moved to KC hoping be the one to help change that mindset. Read more>>
Lucrecer Braxton
I had to learn to pour into myself before I pour into others. One of the hardest lessons for us to learn is that no one is going to rescue you. If you don’t look or act like you are in distress, people assume you are fine. And, you may be perfectly fine for the most part, but there are those days when life and people can really wear you down. Read more>>
Natalie Rosado
Being the sole individual in a room who looks like me has posed its challenges, yet it has equally presented avenues for personal growth and perseverance, especially as someone who identifies with two distinct cultures. As a Latina and the pioneer in my family to achieve a college degree and establish a brick-and-mortar business, I frequently encounter settings where my presence is distinctive. Read more>>
Bryn Bliska
As a queer woman in music, I’ve come to see bringing a unique identity and perspective to a room as a massive asset. It can certainly be daunting at times to feel like you are standing out from the crowd in some quite obvious way, and I felt this very acutely early in my career when I felt I had a lot to prove. Read more>>
Stephany Camacho
It has been a deep journey of self-discovery and development navigating the complexities of being the only person in the room who looks like me. I have discovered that staying true to who I am is crucial. Staying loyal to who I am is what has shown me results. Regardless of whether I am in a conference room or a stage. Read more>>
Jeanette Marcelle
As a black female chef from the English-speaking Caribbean, being the only one in the room who looked like me was kind of the norm for me when I just started in culinary/hospitality 2-decades ago. I recognized very early that the rules of success were somewhat different than they were for my counterparts. Read more>>
